Dd 14 is having trouble eating. She said she wants to eat, really wants to eat, but feels nauseous everytime she tries. Last week she said it felt like her throat was closing up on her, so the dr put her on zyrtec, now her throat is fine but she still can't eat (much). Now the dr wants her to go for a mono test which I am sure she doesnt have - she has no other symptoms other than this. Dh even took her to her favorite restaurant and she could only eat a couple of bites of her lunch. Any ideas? It's very frustrating for all of us. She just got over severe poison ivy and was on prednisone for that. I know that lowers your immune system so I am wondering if she caught something else during that time.

By Karen~moderator on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 03:17 pm:

It's possible the prednisone has affected her appetite. People react differently to steroids - some get hungrier and some lose their appetite. Another thought is has she been upset over anything recently?

By Vicki on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 03:18 pm:

We have been dealing with some eating issues with dd (age 10) for the past few months. Her issues have stemed from stress/anxiety issues. She went through many tough things at the beginning of the year. She is one that when she feels stress etc, her appitite is the first to go. They finally concluded that her stomach shrank and she was unable to eat much at all. Also, you know how when you haven't eaten because of the flu or something... after a little while of not eating, you aren't even hungry any longer. Then when you do eat, your stomach starts to go crazy because there is finally something in there?? Well, dd also though that was her stoamch getting upset because she had eaten something! One of the things she went through at the beginning of the year was her very first ever stomach flu. It freaked her out and she thought that all that flipping around her stomach was doing was going to make her throw up. So we had those issues to over come too. She was at the point that she was never hungry and then she couldn't eat. She would get this look on her face when she even tried to eat like it was physically making her sick! We took her to the ped who referred us to a child phycoligist. That was way back on the Monday after Easter and we are still working with a counselor and a nutritionist and seeing the phycoligist every few months. They had said that her body was basically in an anerexic state. They put her on a medication to increase her appitite and it has worked wonders. She is now a couple pounds above the weight she was at before all of this happened. So the eating and weight loss has all been corrected at this point. They are still working with her on stress/anxiety management. I do think we would be done with the Dr's if she weren't starting middle school in the fall. Since she is starting the new school and all of that, they want to make sure she gets through all of that with out going backwards.

I am only sharing all of this book with you because I want to make sure that you really look after this. I know with my dd, I kept thinking well, once we get past this, things will get better... then something else would happen and I would think, well, once we get past this it will get better. Hind sight, I should have done something much earlier. She got very bad and it took us a long time to get her out of it and it was VERY frightening.

If the tests show she doesn't have mono, don't let that stop you. Insist that they do more testing or what ever you think is necessary.

Good luck to you and your dd! And keep us posted!!

By Amecmom on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 10:39 pm:

Could it be acid reflux? I know, it seems to be my favorite "diagnosis" but it really is pervasive and goes undiagnosed so often. Try giving her some Gaviscon and see if that doesn't help.
If it does, see a gastro for more info. My son has had it since he was an infant and it flares up now and again. He complains that his throat "hurts", he has no appetite, he coughs, etc.
Hope you get to the bottom of it.
Ame